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R. W. MUNRO GAME Filed Dec. 19, 1941 INVENTOR ,9055er I4( Mm/,eo

Patented Dec. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE- GAME Robert w. Munro, cynwya, Pa.

Application December 19, 1941, Serial No. 423,589

9 Claims.

My invention relates to a game which simulates bowling and has for an object the provision of a game which not only provides amusement and entertainment but which also develops a knowledge of bowling.

In carrying out my invention in one form thereof, the ten pins usually used in bowling are illustrated in their correct triangular arrange# ment on the face of a dart board or other playing surface. In bowling, it is well known that strikes are obtained if the ball hits the pins in either the 1 3 or the 1-2 pocket, that is, all ten pins are knocked down when the'ball hits in between the head pin and the next adjacent pin.

Accordingly, those two areas are marked or designated as strike areas. Similarly, other areas are designated with numbers which indicate the number of pins knocked down when such areas are hit by a dart or other missile used in playing the game. with the purpose of knocking down the pins which remain standing 4and a considerable part of the skill of the game lies in the ability to direct the ball so that it will knock down those pins which were left standing by the rst ball. If all pins are knocked down with two balls, the player has made a spare Accordingly, the particular areas which must be struck with the second dart are located in an approximately correct position with respect to the pins which re- 3 main standing and such areas have a size indicative of the skill required in making the spare.) For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompany- 3 ing drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a typical layout of a game board em bodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a dart used in playing the game; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view kind of missile or dart which may-be used in playing the game.

In carrying out my invention in one form thereof a dart board is preferably used and upon the face of the board are illustrated in their correct triangular position the ten pins which characterize bowling. These pins, by convention, have been numbered 1, 2, 3 7 9, and 10. On the face of thepins are distinctive areas having labels thereon stating the number of pins to be considered as knocked down if hit by a dart or other missile used in playing the game. These distinctive areas and the marking thereon In bowling, a second ball is thrown lof a different .40

obtained if a bowling ball were to strike corresponding areas in bowling.`

While a dart I0, as shown in Fig. 2, is preferred for the playing of my game, other types of -missiles may be used, such as the missile Il, illustrated in Fig. 3 as having a vacuum cup I 2 on the end thereof, or an adhesively coated surface may be usd in lieu of the vacuum cup. The game may also 'be played by using pellets or other missiles which may be directed toward and which will identify the areas struck by them.-

In presenting a detailed description of the game, it will be assumed that two darts, such as the dart, I0,are used which represent two bowl- -ing balls, although it will be understood that three or more darts'may be used, if the players so desire. The first dart ball" is thrown with the players greatest accuracy toward the strike areas I3 and I4, which appear between the |-3 and the I-2 pins. If these areas are struck with the dart, the player marks on his score sheet the making of a strike and he does not throw the second dart ball until his next turn to play.

Should the rst dart-ball hit the head pin, I, there are two areas marked Nine which yield nine pins knocked down and in the center of the pin I there are seven different split-areas marked 2 1, 5-1,5-I0, 1I0, 6 1, d-IU, and 3-I0.

0 Occasionally a near-strike ball is slightly to the right or left of the exact pockets and may yield a 1--9 split or an 8-IIJ split. Small areas are so marked above and below the Strike areas. A dart-ball hitting the body-portions of the pins 5 still farther to the right or left of the head pin I yields pins as shown by the labels Eight, Seven, Three and One.

More speciiically, should the rst dart-ball strike the pin-scoring area I5 on which appears the label Seven, it is understood that there has then been knocked down seven pins. In bowling, such a hit would leave standing the pins numbered 2, 4, and 1. These pins may best be knocked down with the second ball by rolling it between pins 2 and 4. Accordingly, the second dart-ball is thrown toward the similarly located spare-converting area I6 on which appears the label Spare if on 1 hit on opposite side." If the player successfully hits the area I6 he makes a spare and so marks it on his score sheet.

Should a ball, or a dart-ball hit the split area designated 2-1, all pins are assumed to be knocked down except the pins marked 2 and 1. In order to convert the spare or to knock down are closely similar to the results which would be 55 these two pins, a bowling ball must be accurate- 1y thrown between pins 2 and 1. similarly with the second dart-ball, the area l1 must be hit, which area is labeled Spare if 2-1 split and is located in a position above and also between the 2-pin and 1-pin.

This area i1 is fairly large, indicating that such a split is a relatively easy one to make. If one of the more infrequent splits, such as the 5-1, 5-Ill, 6-1, or 4-i0, is obtained, the converting area which must be struck to convert such splits is smaller to indicate such a split is harder to make.- For example, if the area I8, the 4-i0 split, is struck by the first dartball, in order to convert the spare, the converting area i9 must be struck by the second dartball. This is an area much smaller than the spare-converting areas i6 and i1 by reason of the fact that in bowling the ball must be thrown so that it will just barely strike the left-hand side of pin 4, in manner such that the pin 4 shall be propelled at the proper angle to strike the number I pin.

A 1-l0 split cannot be converted into a spare. However, either the 1-pin or the lil-pin may be knockedy down. Accordingly, on such a split the player may direct his missile or dart ill towards the one of the areas labeled Single pin if '7-10.

split, one such area appearing directly below the 1-pin and the other below the lil-pin. Similarly, the 8-I0 and the 9,-1 splits cannot be made but either the "Single pin if 8-10 split, or 9-7 split areas may be hit for single pins. These areas are substantially directly below the 8-pin and the 9-pin. However, a hit into the left hand 1-i0 area would count a single pin for the 9-1 split, as would a hit into the right hand 1,-!0 split and since in each case the 1-pin or the I0- pin would be knocked down instead of the B pin or the Q-pin for the respective 9--1 and 8-i0 splits.

The remaining Spare if -10 split" and 5--1 Split areas directly below the Strike areas serve as spare-converting targets for the corresponding splits. They are hard to make; hence are small, the size being inversely proportional to the skill required. For the 5-i0 split, the ball must graze the left hand side of the 5-pin so as to propel it over to and against the I il-pin. For the 5--1 split the ball must graze the right-hand side of the 5-pin so as to propel it over to and against the 1-pin, sufllciently hard to knock it down.

The 2-1 and 3-I0 splits are the easiest of all splits to make and therefore the larger designated areas are located along the upper portions of pin's 4 and B, though these areas could be below the pins, it being understood the spareconverting areas would then be correspondingly lowered; or some of the latter could be located along the 'upper portions of the pins and in their proper spare-converting relation thereto, as above explained.

With the foregoing explanation, it will be understood that the other areas are similarly correlated and it is only necessary to observe the labels on the areas struck by the rst dart-ball in order to know where the second dart-ball must strike in order to convert the spare. Obviously, if either the rst or second dart-balls miss the designated areas, no pins are knocked down; no

score is made by the player 'on that particular.

dart-ball. Such a miss is known in bowling as a poodle."

and 2i to the right and left of the head pin, which bear the labels Eight" may be of one solid color. for example red, and the areas 22 and 2l, which must be struck by the second pin, likewise bear the same distinctive color, for example, red. The areas labeled Nine, which overlie a' part of the head pin, may be a solid color, for example, blue, and the corresponding smallery areas 24 and 25 are of the same solid color, for example, blue. The areas labeled Seven may have blue stripes; the areas labeled Three, red stripes, and the areas labeled One may have both red and -blue stripes and corresponding spare-areas I6, 26, 21, and 28 may be correspondingly colored.

It will be noted that on the areas 30 and 3|, which substantially overlie the 1 and lil pins, a label appears which in eect states that if the first dart-ball strikes one of such areas 30 and- 3i, the second dart-ball must hit a. Nine area on the opposite side of the center of the head pin, or it must hit a Strike area.

As aboveindicated, the s'core is kept in the same way as in bowling, that is, if a player makes a strike he is entitled to all pins obtained on his next two dart-balls, hence amaximum of thirty pins per turn or per frame may be scored. A strike followed by a spare counts 20 and a spare followed by a strike counts 20, because after a spare is made the player is entitled to all pins made on his next thrown dart-ball.

Inasmuch as each distinctive area if hit by a dart-ball or other missile yields a. score or number of pins knocked down substantially identical with the results which would be secured with a bowling ball, it will be seen that the art of bowling and other of the underlying theories of the game can be mastered by playing my game. More importantly, a player in endeavoring to convert the spares will soon learn the location of the spare-converting areas, and their locations are representative of the areas which a bowling ball must traverse in converting similar spares in bowling.

Moreover, the size of each distinctive area gives a player the measure of the skill required in actual bowling to convert the spares. It will, therefore, be seen that besides being highly entertaining, my game is at the same time instructive and vwill prove particularly beneficial to a novice bowler.

While I have shown one modification of my invention, it will be obvious that variations thereof can be readily made and I intend -by the appended claims to cover my invention and equivalent variations thereof.

What I claim is:

l. A game comprising a target on which bowling pins are arranged as in-bowling, individual areas extending over selected portions of said pins, each said area having a marking representative of the number of pins which would be knocked down in bowling by a ball striking the pins within each said marked area, and spareconverting areas -complementary to said firstmentiond areas with locations and markings by means of which spares may be completed.

2. A game comprising a target on which appear bowling pins asin bowling, individual pinscorng areas extending over the body portions of the front row of pins, .each said area having marked thereon the number of pins which a bowling ball would knock down upon hitting the pins at like locations, spare-converting areas above and below said pin-scoring areas. each correlated with the latter by markings indicating the correct spare-converting area.

3. A game as set forth in claim 2 in which each Said spare-converting area. has a location representative of where a .bowling ball must strike to complete a spare, and of a size representative of the skill required to make such spare, that is, the greater the skill required, the smaller the size of such area.

4. A game as set forth in claim 2 in which both o the pin-scoring areas and the spare-converting areas have sizes which are inversely proportional to the skill required to hit like 'areas in bowling.

5. A game as set forth in claim 2 in which each said spare-converting area has a location representative of where a bowling ball must strike to complete a spare, and of a size representative of the skill required to make such spare, that is, the greater the skill required, the smaller the size of such area, and said spare-converting areas including single-pin scoring areas for splits which are relatively impossible to convert to spares.

6. A game comprising a target on which appear bowling pins triangularly arranged as in bowling, individual pin-scoring areas extending over the body portions of the front row of pins, each said area having marked thereon the number of pins which a bowling ball [would knock down upon hitting the pins within one of such areas, spareconverting areas above and below said pin-scor'- ing areas, Veach correlated with the latter by markings indicating the correct spare-converting area, and split-indicating areas along the head pin with pin-numbers thereon representative of the pins which are left standing for each said split, some of said spare-converting areas includ- .ing` markings for the conversion of a split to a spare.

'7. A game comprising a target on which bowling pins are arranged as in bowling, individual areas extending over selected portions of said pins, each said area having a marking representative of the number of pins which would be knocked down in bowling by a ball striking the pins within each said marked area, and spareconverting areas complementary to said rstmentioned areas with locations and markings by means of which spares may be completed, each said spare-converting area having a location representative of where a bowling ball must strike to complete a spare.

8. A game comprising a target on which bowling pins are arranged as in bowling, individual areas extending over selected portions of said pins, each said area having a marking representative of the number of pins which would be knocked down in bowling by a ball striking the pins within each said marked area, and spare-converting areas complementary to said first-mentioned areas with locations and markings by means of which spares may be completed, each said spareconverting area having a location representative of where a bowling ball must strike to complete a spare, and of a size representative of the skill required to make such spare, that is, the greater the skill required for a particular spare the smaller is the size of that spare-converting area compared with the size of the areas representing the more easily made spares.

9. A game comprising a target on which bowling pins are arranged as in ten-pin bowling, individual areas extending over selected portions of said pins, each said area having a marking representative of the number of pins which would be knocked down in bowling by a ball striking the pins in alike location, smaller split-producing areas in and near the head pin with pin numbers thereon representative of the pins which are left standing for each said split, and spare-converting areas each of which has a location representative of where a bowling ball must strike to complete that particular spare.

ROBERT W. MUNRO. 

